Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
PC - Xbox One - Playstation 4 - Nintendo Switch
Developer: MachineGames
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Release Date: October 27th, 2017
Pros:
- A story that is both unpredictable and incredibly deep, even for those unfamiliar to first installment
- Skill points allocate automatically based on your combat approach
- Branching paths in story and maps beg replays or different tactics
- Original Wolfenstein 3D available to play from start to finish
- Stealth, although encouraged, is difficult to really pull off
- Swapping weapons on the fly proves difficult on console
- Side missions and hit contracts fail to provide much in terms of variety
The more you play New Colossus, the more you see the cracks, but the overall facade is still just blindingly fun chaos.
A drink off with a crazed preacher whilst under sniper fire
I never played the first installment, so I had no idea what to expect going in and this game picks up where its predecessor left off. A small highlight reel plays covering events of the last game before it asks you to make a choice between two people that I literally just met, but each one leads to a different timeline, two branching paths, which turns out to mainly be each one nets you a different heavy weapon. Regardless, you then begin as any game should...hiding from your abusive dad in the closet with your dog. This transitions to a ship under siege from Nazis, but you are recovering from the last game so you spend the entire first stage in a wheelchair and you are unable to climb stairs.
That is what makes this game so great. By the time you have an idea of where the story is going, especially with a mid-game scene where I was sure it was done, the game throws a left curve out of nowhere. It balances absurdity with heavy tones of racism, morality, and companionship. Coupled with that is a soundtrack akin to Doom of heavy rifts for intense shootouts and stellar voice work, New Colossus delivers an intensely satisfying look at a post-Nazi ruled world, one of anger and desperation.
While acting as your standard cover shooter, the game adapts to how you play automatically. No skill points, no levels, just naturally landing head shots boosts your shooting ability, sneaking and stealth kills lower your noise levels and increases speed while crouched. You do not even have to limit yourself to a gunslinger or a sneaky guy, you can be as chaotic or stealthy as you want and the game will shower you with encouragement to do so. By the endgame, I found myself focusing areas I did not level well to just further increase my overall kit.
You will die eventually...I just know it
There are a few staged shootouts and segments you have little control over, but the majority of the encounters have you enter a room only to get a ping of where a commander lies. These leaders can call reinforcements if alerted, and shower the room with baddies flanking you on all sides. Maps branch out with multiple paths, allowing you to choose vantage points to shoot from or stealthy pathways to take the commander out quietly. Halfway through the game you gain new abilities that allow you to reach high platforms, compress your body to fit in crawlspaces, or even smash through barriers, further opening up potential pathways.
The stealth, while a great way to play, is pretty difficult. There is no real radar, idea of line of sight, nothing beyond peaking around corners and a general map of the area. It takes some getting used to, but once you gain silenced weaponry you can usually predict guard pathways and move slow and steady to the finish. You will get caught a lot...sometimes for no reason at all...but on the higher difficulties I could usually find a way to get around and the checkpoint system is lenient enough to allow you to get right back into it if you are discovered.
You made this personal once you sounded the alarm
Combat is purely cover shooter based. Dual wielding offers a destructive means of mowing down enemies, but the AI is pretty predictable, mostly charging in head first to your location. Most of the strategy involved putting your back to the wall and picking them off as they come. I even found the commander would stop calling reinforcements after a few waves, which means I can play the waiting game and pick everyone off one by one. Heavy armored troops, fast moving robot dogs, and flying drones throw a few wrenches in the mix, but ultimately you can solve your problem by shoving a dual wielded shotgun in its face.
When you are not on a mission, you are back on your main ship which acts as a hub world where you can review collectibles scattered in each stage, talk to crewmates for small side missions, and even play the original Wolfenstein 3D in its entirety in the cafe. As you kill commanders you also gain codes that you can decrypt, unveiling small hit missions where you are tasked to locate and eliminate a target. These are usually very straightforward and once dead you just hit "Return to Ship" and no matter whats going on around you it's boop, back to the load screen. These missions eventually unlock a secret area only accessible by finishing all commanders but it proves to be hardly worth the effort.
Wolfenstein is a game that will appeal to your humanity one minute and dive into the absurd the next. It is not revolutionary by any means, and the difficulty with stealth or frustrating weapon swap wheel can damper things, but when you mow down a group of a Nazis with a laser or audition for Hitler...yeah that happens; it is easy to overlook the issues. There is something for everyone here; a ton of collectibles tucked away in each stage, an insane difficulty level for die hards, and the retro Wolfenstein 3D was a nice touch to an altogether fun game. There are cracks in the facade but the big picture here is New Colossus is an explosive ride with a surprisingly deep narrative that is just fun to experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment